What is a cat?C A T
What does this word mean?
It sounds easy enough to say, yet how many of us can say we understand cats?
With their ability to sleep on a windowsill, yet at the same time poised
to pounce at any time, with their wide range of attitudes and temperaments,
they are simply beyond human comprehension. Poets have tried to capture
the essence of their wisdom, portray their aloofness, and captivate their
antics on paper, in book and in film. But cats do as they please, and the
time we spend with them teaches us many lessons. But with all we learn,
there is still one thing that will mystify us forever -- the cat.

The smallest feline is a masterpiece.Leonardo da VinciKittens leave paw prints on your heart.In the image of the lion made He kittens small
and curious.Heinrich Heine 1797-1856A little drowsing cat is an image of perfect
beatitude. ChampfleuryAre cats lazy? Well, more power to them if
they are. Which one of us has not entertained the dream of doing just as
he likes, when and how he likes, and as much as he likes?Fernand MeryWhen it comes to knowing how to relax, cats
are the original yoga experts. Patricia CurtisIf only cats grew into kittens.R.D. SternThe playful kitten, with its pretty little
tigerish gambols, is infinitely more amusing than half the people one is
obliged to live with in the world.Lady Sydney Morgan (1783-1859)A cat can be trusted to purr when she is pleased,
which is more than can be said for human beings.William Ralph Inge (1860-1954)Just as the would-be debutante will fret and
fuss over every detail till all is perfect, so will the fastidious feline
patiently toil until every whiskertip is in place...Lynn Hollyn's Town & Country CatWhen addressed, a Gentleman Cat does not move
a muscle. He looks as if he hasn't heard.May SartonAs the cherub is to the angel, so the cat
is to the tiger...Elizabeth Marshall ThomasAs we all know, cats now rule the world.John R.F.BreenLike a graceful vase, a cat, even when motionless,
seems to flow.George WillThe cat, having sat upon a hot stove lid,
will not sit upon a hot stove lid again. Nor upon a cold stove lid.Mark TwainThe cat sees through shut lids.English ProverbAn ordinary kitten will ask more questions
than any five-year-old.Carl Van VechtenCats find malicious amusement in doing what
they are not wanted to do, and that with an affectation of innocence that
materially aggravates their deliberate offense.Helen WinslowIt is easy to understand why the cat has eclipsed
the dog as modern America's favorite pet. People like pets to possess the
same qualities they do. Cats are irresponsible and recognize no authority,
yet are completely dependent on others for their material needs. Cats cannot
be made to do anything useful. Cats are mean for the fun of it. In fact,
cats possess so many of the same qualities as people that it is often hard
to tell the people and the cats apart.P.J. O'RourkeCats hate a closed door, you know, regardless
of which side they're on.
If they're out, they want to get in, and if they're in, they want to get
out.Lilian Jackson BraunLet us be honest; most of us rather like our
cats to have a streak of wickedness. I should not feel quite easy in the
company of any cat that walked around the house with a saintly expression.
Beverly NicholsCats, as a class, have never completely got
over the snootiness caused by the fact that in ancient Egypt they were worshipped
as gods. This makes them prone to set themselves up as critics and censors
of the frail and erring human beings whose lot they share.P.G. WodehouseThe great charm of cats is their rampant egotism,
their devil-may-care attitude toward responsibility, their disinclination
to earn an honest dollar...Robertson Davies -- The Table Talk of Samuel MarchbanksIt is very inconvenient habit of kittens (Alice
had once made the remark) that, whatever you say to them they always purr.Lewis CarrollIt is difficult to obtain the friendship of
a cat.
It is a philosophic animal ­ one that does not place its affections
thoughtlessly.Theophile GautierCats are connoisseurs of comfort.James HerriotThe cat, in dignity and independence, is very
much like the human animal should be but isn't.Paul CoreyCats pride themselves on their ability to
do nothing.John R. F. BreenA kitten is the delight of a household. All
day long, comedy is played by an incomparable actor.Champfleury 1821-1889If a fish is the movement of water embodied,
given shape,
then a cat is a diagram and pattern of subtle air.Doris LessingCats are intended to teach us that not everything
in nature has a function.Garrison KeillorI have never known a cat that couldn't quiet
me down just by walking slowly past my chair.Rod McKuen -- Stanyan Book of CatsAmong animals, cats are the top-hatted, frock-coated
statesmen
going about their affairs at their own pace.Robert Stearns -- "Dogs Are Not Purr-fect"With dogs and people, it's love in big splashy
colours.
When you're involved with a cat, you're dealing in pastels.Dr. Louis J. Camuti -- All My Patients Are Under The
BedI've met many thinkers and many cats, but
the wisdom of cats is infinitely superior.Hippolyte TaineA cat bitten once by a snake dreads even rope.Arab proverbOld cats mean young mice.Italian proverbThose who'll play with cats must expect to
be scratched.Miguel CervantesYou can tell your cat anything and he'll still
love you. If you lose your job or your best friend, your cat will think
no less of you...Helen Powers -- The Biggest Little Cat Book in the
WorldIf human, cats might play solitaire, but they
would never sit around with the gang and a few six-packs watching Monday
Night Football.Time Magazine, December 7, 1981Cats are rather delicate creatures and they
are subject to a good many ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered
from insomnia.Joseph Wood KrutchTo assume a cat's asleep is a grave mistake.
He can close his eyes and keep both his ears awake.Aileen Fisher -- from "My Cat Has Eyes of Sapphire
Blue"A cat is a lion in a jungle of small bushes.Old sayingNo matter how much cats fight, there always
seem to be plenty of kittens.Abraham LincolnWith their qualities of cleanliness, discretion,
affection, patience, dignity and courage, how many of us, I ask you, would
be capable of being cats?Fernand Mery -- Her Majesty the CatNobody can truly own a cat.Old British sayingA kitten is chiefly remarkable for rushing
about like mad at nothing whatever and generally stopping before it gets
there.Agnes Repplier 1855-1950Cats are distant, discreet, impeccably clean
and able to stay silent.
What more could be needed to be good company?Marie Lecinska (18th century)It has been the providence of Nature to give
this creature [the cat] nine lives instead of one.PilpayWhen I play with my cat, who knows whether
I do not make her more sport than she makes me?Michael de Montaigne 1533-1592If toast always lands butter-side down, and
cats always land on their feet, what happen if you strap toast on the back
of a cat and drop it?Steven Wright: 20th Century QuotationsThe more you run over a dead cat, the flatter
it gets.UnknownCats are smarter than dogs. You can't get
eight cats to pull a sled through snow.Jeff ValdezI like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look
down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.Winston ChurchillThe cat could very well be man's best friend
but would never stoop to admitting it.Doug LarsonIt's funny how dogs and cats know the inside
of folks better than other folks do, isn't it?Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna, 1912One cat justs leads to another.Ernest HemingwayDogs come when they're called; cats take a
message and get back to you later.Mary BlyThere is no snooze button on a cat who wants
breakfast. UnknownHow we behave toward cats here below determines
our status in heaven.Robert A. HeinleinNo heaven will not ever be Heaven be; Unless
my cats are there to welcome me.UnknownPeople that hate cats, will come back as mice
in their next life.Faith ResnickThere are many intelligent species in the
universe. They are all owned by cats.AnonymousThere are two means of refuge from the miseries
of life: music and cats.Albert SchweitzerWe humans are indeed fortunate if we happen
to be chosen to be owned by a cat.Cats are intended to teach us that not everything
in nature has a function.Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped
as gods. Cats have never forgotten this.AnonymousIn a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.English proverbIf animals could speak the dog would be a
a blundering outspoken fellow, but the cat would have the rare grace of
never saying a word too much.Mark TwainOf all God's creatures, there is only one
that cannot be made slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could
be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate
the cat.Mark TwainThe cat has too much spirit to have no heart.Ernest MenaulDogs believe they are human. Cats believe
they are God.Time spent with cats is never wasted. ColetteThe purity of a person's heart can be quickly
measured by how they regard animals.Woman, poets, and especially artists, like
cats;
delicate natures only can realize their sensitive nervous systems.Helen M. WinslowSome people say that cats are sneaky, evil,
and cruel.
True, and they have many other fine qualities as well.Missy DizickManaging senior programmers is like herding
cats.Dave PlattYou will always be lucky if you know how to
make friends with strange cats.Colonial American proverbCats seem to go on the principle that it never
does any harm to ask for what you want.Joseph Wood KrutchBeware of people who dislike cats.Irish proverbI love my cats because I love my home, and
little by little they become its visible soul.Jean CouteauI got rid of my husband. The cat was allergic.My husband said it was him or the cat... I
miss him sometimes.Cats aren't clean, they're just covered with
cat spit.When I play with my cat, who knows if I am
not a pastime to her more than she is to me?Michel Eyquem de MontaigneJust as the would-be debutante will fret and
fuss over every detail till all is perfect, so will the fastidious feline
patiently toil until every whiskertip is in place...Lynn HollynCat lovers can readily be identified. Their
clothes always look old and well used. Their sheets look like bath towels,
and their bath towels look like a collection of knitting mistakes.Eric GurneyWe cannot, without becoming cats, perfectly
understand the cat mind.St. George MivartA cat has absolute emotional honesty; human
beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings but a cat does
not.Ernest HemingwayOh cat, I'd say, or pray: be-ootiful cat!
Delicious cat! Exquisite cat! Satiny cat! Cat like a soft owl, cat with
paws like moths, jewelled cat, miraculous cat! Cat, cat, cat, cat. Doris LessingA cat improves the garden wall in sunshine,
and the hearth in foul weather. Judith Merkle RileyTo respect the cat is the beginning of the
aesthetic sense.Erasmus DarwinNo one can have experienced to the fullest
the true sense of achievement and satisfaction who has never pursued and
successfully caught his tail. Rosalind WelcherWith cats, some say, one rule is true: Don't
speak till you are spoken to.T.S. EliotKittens are born with their eyes shut. They
open them in about six days, take a look around, then close them again for
the better part of their lives.Stephen BakerCats can be very funny, and have the oddest
ways of showing they're glad to see you...W.H. AudenFew animals display their mood via facial
expressions as distinctly as cats.Konrad LorenzTo be reminded that one is very much like
other members of the animal kingdom is often funny...though...I do not too
much mind being somewhat like a cat.Joseph Wood KrutchThere is nothing in the animal world, to my
mind, more delightful than grown cats at play. They are so swift and light
and graceful, so subtle and designing, and yet so richly comic. Monica EdwardsEven if you have just destroyed a Ming vase,
purr. Usually all will be forgiven.Lenny RubensteinYou can tell your cat anything and he'll still
love you. If you lose your job or your best friend, your cat will think
no less of you.Helen PowersSleep sweetly in the fields of asphodel, and
waken, as of old, to stretch thy languid length, and purr thy soft contentment
to the skies. Agnes Repplier One is never sure, watching two cats washing
each other, whether it's affection, the taste or a trial run for the jugular.Helen ThomsonCats know how to obtain food wtihout labour,
shelter without confinement and love without penalties.W.L. GeorgeA cat sees no good reason why it should obey
another animal, even if it does stand on two legs.Sarah Thompson
Cats are kindly masters, just so long as you remember your place.Paul GrayIt is a well-known fact that the survival
rate after heart attacks is significantly higher among pet owners than non-owners,
and that human blood pressure falls in the presence of companion animals
-- especially cats.Dr. Maya PatelIf you are worthy of its affection, a cat
will be your friend, but never your slave.Theophile GautierOne must love a cat on its own terms.Peter GrayCats are a tonic, they are a laugh, they are
a cuddle, they are at least pretty just about all of the time and beautiful
some of the time.Roger Caras from "A Cat is Watching"Cats were put into the world to disprove the
dogma that all things were created to serve man.Paul GrayCat said, 'I am not a friend, and I am not
a Servant. I am the Cat who walks by himself, and I wish to come into your
Cave.'Rudyard KiplingThe really great thing about cats is their
endless variety. One can pick a cat to fit almost any kind of decor, income,
personality, mood. But under the fur, there still lies, essentially unchanged,
one of the world's free souls.Eric GurneyTo some blind souls all cats are much alike.
To a cat lover every cat from the beginning of time has been utterly and
amazingly unique.Jenny De VriesOne small cat changes coming home to an empty
house to coming home.Pam BrownA cat isn't fussy -- just so long as you remember
he likes his milk in the shallow, rose-patterned saucer and his fish on
the blue plate. From which he will take it, and eat if off the floor.Arthur BridgesCats like doors left open -- in case they
change their minds.Rosemary NisbetEven overweight cats instinctively know the
cardinal rule: when fat, arrange yourself in slim poses.John WeitzFor me, one of the pleasures of cats' company
is their devotion to bodily comfort.Compton MackenzieThe trouble with sharing one's bed with cats
is that they'd rather sleep on you than beside you.Pam BrownA cat refuses to be the object of sentimentality
-- if she doesn't want to be cuddled, that's it.Samantha ArmstrongA cat allows you to sleep on the bed. On the
edge.Jenny De VriesAll cats like being the focus of attention.Peter GrayNobody who is not prepared to spoil cats will
get from them the reward they are able to give to those who do spoil them.Compton MackenzieA dog will flatter you but you have to flatter
the cat.George MikesYou can keep a dog: but it is the cat who
keeps people, because cats find humans useful domestic animals.George MikesYou own a dog but you feed a cat.Jenny De VriesThere is nothing so lowering to one's self-esteem
as the affectionate contempt of a beloved cat.Monica EdwardsA cat does not want all the world to love
her -- only those she has chosen to love.Helen ThomsonOnly cat lovers know the luxury of fur-coated,
musical hot water bottles that never go cold.Susanne MillenThere are people who reshape the world by
force or argument, but the cat just lies there, dozing, and the world quietly
reshapes itself to suit his comfort and convenience.Allen & Ivy DoddCats invented self-esteem; there is not an
insecure bone in their body.Erma BombeckWhen naming a cat, if one's imagination is
totally at a loss, start with a good encyclopedia. Look up the names of
emperors, empresses, kings and queens. Cats, particularly male cats, like
very strong names which link them to majestic feats.Auriel DouglasThe cat is a character of being, the dog,
a character of doing.Michael J. RosenNever ask a hungry cat whether he loves you
for yourself alone.Louis CamutiCats seem to go on the principle that it never
does any harm to ask for what you want.Joseph Wood Krutch...with a cat you stand on much the same footing
that you stand with a fine and dignified friend; if you forfeit his respect
and confidence the relationship suffers. The cat, it is well to remember,
remains the friend of man because it pleases him to do so and not because
he must.Carl Van VechtenThe cat always leaves a mark on his friend.AesopA friend is, as it were, a second self.CiceroHis tongue is by turns a sponge, a brush,
a comb. He cleans himself, he smooths himself, he knows what is proper.Hippolyte TaineThe cat has complete emotional honesty --
an attribute not often found in humans.Ernest HemingwayThe thing about cats as you might find,
is that no one knows what they have in mind.John CiardiThe vanity of man revolts from the serene
indifference of the cat.Agnes RepplierDogs may fawn on all and some
As they come;
You, a friend of loftier mind
Answer friends alone in kind;
Just your foot upon my hand
Softly bids it understand.Algernon Charles SwinburneYou haven't lived until you've lived with
a cat.Doris DayGod has made the cat to give man the pleasure
of caressing the tiger.Victor HugoAnimals are such agreeable friends -- they
ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.George EliotIf you want to write, keep cats.Aldous HuxleyThe surest way to forfeit the esteem of a
cat is to treat him as an inferior being.Michael JosephPeople don't choose or own cats. Cats choose
the people they want to own.Warren EcksteinCats often speak volumes with their silence.Douglas W. BraunYou can observe a lot just by watching.Yogi BerraHe will kill mice and he will be kind to babies...but
when the moon gets up and the night comes, he is the Cat that Walks by Himself.Rudyard KiplingIf you would know what a cat is thinking about,
you must hold its paw in your hand for a long time...
Jules ChampfleuryTo err is human. To purr feline.Robert BryneScratching is one of nature's sweetest gratifications,
and the one nearest at hand.MontaigneA dog, I have always said, is prose; a cat
is a poem.Jean BurdenHe deserves Paradise who makes his companions
laugh.
The KoranPurring would seem to be, in her case, an
automatic safety-valve device for dealing with happiness overflow.
Monica EdwardsA kitten is in the animal world what a rosebud
is in a garden.Robert SoutheyA cat sleeps fat, yet walks thin.Fred SchwabThe cat has a nervous ear,
that turns this way and that.
And what the cat may hear,
is known but to the cat.David MortonThe only mystery about the cat is why it ever
decided to become a domestic animal.Sir Compton MackenzieThe cat, like the genius, draws itself as
into a shell except in the atmosphere of congeniality, and this is the secret
of its remarkable and elusive personality.Ida A. MellenAt a touch, he explodes like a snapdragon
into loud purrs.Elizabeth J. Coatworth"Listen, Kitten, get this clear;
This is my chair, I sit here.
Okay, Kitty, we can share;
When I'm not home, it's your chair...Richard Shaw, "Squatter's Rights"Cats are living adornments.Edwin LentSome Cats is blind
and stone-deaf some,
But ain't no Cat
wuz ever dumb.Anthony Henderson EuwerAlthough all cat games have their rules and
ritual, these vary with the individual player. The cat, of course, never
breaks a rule. If it does not follow precedent, that simply means it has
created a new rule...Sidney DenhamI believe cats to be spirits come to earth.
A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.Jules VerneMeow is like "aloha" -- it can mean
anything.Hank KetchumA cat has a reputation to protect. If it had
a halo, it would be worn cocked to one side.Will DurantThe cat is the mirror of the human mind, personality
and attitude, just as the dog mirrors his human's physical appearance.Winnifred CarriereThe cat is, above all things, a dramatist.Margaret BensonWho can believe that there is no soul behind
those luminous eyes!Théophile GautierCats know how to obtain food without labor,
shelter without confinement, and love without penalties.W.L. GeorgeAcrobat, diplomat,
and simple tabby-cat,
He conjures tangled forests
in a furnished flat.Michael Hamburger "London Tom-Cat"